Niamh’s ‘heart skips’ for Olly Murs

Music fans from as far away as America are backing a Facebook campaign by a local man in a bid to make his little sister’s dreams come true.

Eighteen year old Niamh Murray from Coleraine is a huge Olly Murs fan.

After watching a programme about the former X Factor contestant in which he met fans, the teenager has her mind set on meeting the popstar when she attends his concert later this spring.

Niamh who is a pupil at Sandelford School, got tickets to Olly’s Belfast concert for her eighteeth birthday back on December 27

Speaking to The Times last week, Niamh’s mum, Lynda explained: “Niamh is mad about Ollie.

“She had been to all of his concerts here in Ireland, but his time she has her mind set on meeting him.

“She watched a programme about him meeting his fans, and she just hasn’t stopped talking about it.”

Niamh, who is a well known face around the Coleraine and Ballymoney areas, has Down’s Syndrome.

But as her mum Lynda explains, the first few years of her life were very difficult:

“We were told that Niamh might not survive the delivery, when she was born. She had a serious heart defect and a bowel problem.

“She had her first operation at just ten hours old and a second at just over eight months old. She spent the first nine months of her life in the Royal Victoria Hospital. She was on a ventilator and we were told that she might never breathe on her own.”

Despite the odds, Niamh proved all of the doctors wrong, and lives a busy life.

She is part of the Causeway Special Olympics team, a season ticket holder at Coleraine Football Club, and currently does a work placement at a cafe in Ballymoney.

“Niamh is just one of these people that everyone knows, “joked proud mum Lynda. “When her brother Andrew set up the Facebook page, we had no idea how it would take off. We have had messages from people in America and Canada, it is unbelievable.”

To date there are over 3,000 likes on the Facebook page, and the twitter account is gathering followers daily.